Inflation Since 1938: Prices Have Risen 2,268.21%
"Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator
How much has inflation been since 1938?
Answer
(That is 88 years at an average of 3.66% a year. One 1938 dollar buys what $23.68 buys today)
Inflation since 1938, both directions
Average per year over 88 years: 3.66%
One 1938 dollar today: $23.68
One dollar today, in 1938 money: $0.04
What the average does and does not say
Source: CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 1938 annual average 14.1, July 2026 333.918.
Related Calculations
See Also
- Inflation Calculator - Convert dollars from any past year into today's money, using the official CPI-U series
About "Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator
Pick a year and this page tells you how far prices have moved since — the total rise, the average yearly rate, and what a single dollar from that year is worth in today's money.
Enter a year: anything from 1913 to 2025.
Read the result: cumulative inflation since that year, the average annual rate behind it, and the value of one of that year's dollars today.
Since 1938, prices have risen 2,268.21% — that is 88 years at an average of 3.66% a year. One 1938 dollar buys what $23.68 buys today; put the other way round, a dollar today would have been worth about $0.04 back then.
The source is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each past year is the annual average BLS publishes for it, and today is the latest published month, July 2026. The answer moves when BLS publishes, not when the clock does.
Averages hide a lot. An average of 3.66% across 88 years does not mean prices rose by that much in any particular year: the span contains years well above it and years where prices fell.
For example, it can help you find out how much has inflation been since 1938? (The answer is: 2,268.21%)."Inflation Rate Since a Given Year" Calculator
What 1938 Dollars Are Worth Today
| Amount in 1938 | Equivalent today | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | $23.68 | $22.68 |
| $5 | $118.41 | $113.41 |
| $10 | $236.82 | $226.82 |
| $20 | $473.64 | $453.64 |
| $50 | $1,184.11 | $1,134.11 |
| $100 | $2,368.21 | $2,268.21 |
| $200 | $4,736.43 | $4,536.43 |
| $300 | $7,104.64 | $6,804.64 |
| $500 | $11,841.06 | $11,341.06 |
| $1,000 | $23,682.13 | $22,682.13 |
| $2,000 | $47,364.26 | $45,364.26 |
| $3,000 | $71,046.38 | $68,046.38 |
| $5,000 | $118,410.64 | $113,410.64 |
| $10,000 | $236,821.28 | $226,821.28 |
FAQ
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See Also
- Inflation Since 1928: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1929: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1930: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1931: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1932: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1933: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1934: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1935: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1936: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1937: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1939: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1940: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1941: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1942: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1943: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1944: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1945: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1946: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1947: How Much Have Prices Risen?
- Inflation Since 1948: How Much Have Prices Risen?